So drab was the co-feature between world-ranked welterweights
Rory
MacDonald and Jake
Ellenberger that it had sucked the life right out of the venue.
To say the fans inside KeyArena in Seattle were displeased with the
three slumber-inducing rounds brought forth by MacDonald and
Ellenberger would be a gross understatement.

Luckily, those who enjoy mixed martial arts were treated to one
heck of a performance in the main event, as the little guys did not
disappoint. Johnson systematically dissected Moraga, demonstrating
his diverse and technical skill set along the way. Moraga stayed
engaged, but “Mighty Mouse” was simply too much for him to
handle.

The challenger had his moments. Moraga popped the champion with a
short right hand in the fourth round, appearing to break Johnson’s
nose; and he escaped several submission attempts that were thrown
his way. However, “Mighty Mouse” never allowed Moraga to find any
sort of rhythm. In the end, Johnson executed a beautiful
kimura-to-armbar submission, retaining his flyweight crown and
nailing down the latest stoppage in the UFC’s 20-year history.

Even though there is an extremely short list of fighters capable of
hanging with Johnson for 25 minutes, it will be difficult for the
26-year-old
AMC Pankration standout to reach the level of superstardom
fighters like Georges St.
Pierre, Chuck
Liddell and Randy
Couture have enjoyed. Why? He is simply too small. One sad
truth plagues combat sports: the casual fan tends to care more
about the big men. Once in a while, a smaller fighter will rise up
and turn the sport upside down, but for the most part,
bigger-bodied bruisers always seem to steal the spotlight.

Hardcore fans understand the intricacies involved with the smaller
weight classes. Not every fight ends in a knockout, but the
combination of speed and technique that is prevalent at 125, 135
and 145 pounds is something to behold. Still, in MMA, boxing and
other combat sports it is nearly impossible to sell the casual fan
on greatness in lower weight divisions. Remember, there was a time
when the lightweight division went dark in the UFC, even after
Yves
Edwards scored one of the most spectacular knockouts in history
against Josh
Thomson.

If any promoter can turn Johnson into a household name, it is the
UFC. He is after all one of the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters on
the planet and one of the most entertaining fighters competing in
MMA today.

Miscellaneous Debris: By now, the majority of MMA
fans have gotten over the numbing encounter between MacDonald and
Ellenberger. With the win, MacDonald is certainly worthy of
receiving a crack at the UFC’s welterweight title, depending on
what happens in the forthcoming title bout between St. Pierre and
Hendricks in November; but after watching MacDonald do just enough
to turn away Ellenberger, does he actually deserve it? ... There
once was a time when Robbie
Lawler was hailed as the second coming of Mike Tyson. He has
enjoyed a successful career but hit a few stumbling blocks along
the way. Having returned to the UFC in February, Lawler has never
looked better. If the former EliteXC
champion’s performances against Josh
Koscheck and Bobby
Voelker are any indication of what is to come, then everyone at
170 pounds had better take note, including St. Pierre and Hendricks
... It is hard to figure out whether or not Melvin
Guillard is back on track in the lightweight division or just a
beneficiary of a fading Mac Danzig.
Guillard’s second-round knockout was equal parts spectacular and
violent, as he handed Danzig his third loss in four fights. The
next outing from “The Young Assassin” should tell us a lot
more.